James Avery, who played the character of Phil Banks on the hit sitcom ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air,’ died at the age of 68 on Dec. 31.

Beloved TV dad James Avery died on New Year’s Eve at age 68 following weeks of complications from open heart surgery, his rep said.

Best known for playing Will Smith’s wise and wealthy Uncle Phil on the hit 90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Avery died in a hospital in Glendale, Calif., after undergoing open heart surgery shortly before Thanksgiving, publicist Cynthia Snyder said.

Avery’s mom said the actor’s wife Barbara Avery was “practically living” at the hospital prior to his death and called her early Tuesday with what seemed like good news.

“It seemed like he was doing better. I heard him say something in the background,” mom Florence Avery, 89, told the Daily News by phone from Atlantic City.

“Barbara planned to spend the night at the hospital but said she had to run some errands first. When she came back, she called me to say he was gone,” Florence recalled, adding that her son also suffered from diabetes.

Alfonso Ribeiro (right bottom) tweeted his condolences. ‘I’m deeply saddended to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly.’

I'm deeply saddened to say that James Avery has passed away. He was a second father to me. I will miss him greatly. pic.twitter.com/UrW0EeBFbO

“It breaks my heart,” she said. “My child was a great person who helped anyone he could. He was really just a nice person whose great passion in life was reading.”

The imposing 6-foot-5 actor was born in Virginia, raised in Atlantic City and served in the Vietnam War.

He and Barbara, the Dean of Students at Occidental College in Los Angeles, were married 26 years.

James never had children of his own but was stepfather to Barbara’s son Kevin Waters, 49, of upstate New York, his rep said.

'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' (L-R) James Avery, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana Ali, Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro. The comedy series was a hit in the 1990s. Now, Avery, who played the loving father on the show, has died.

(ROBERT GALBRAITH/REUTERS)

He worked as recently as September shooting the Zach Braff-directed film “Wish I Was Here,” the rep said.

“Fresh Prince” costar Alfonso Ribeiro said he was heartbroken by the loss.

“The world has lost a truly special man. I am very saddened to say that James Avery has passed,” he wrote on Facebook.

“Even though he played my father on TV, he was a wonderful father figure to me in life. He will be deeply missed,” he said.

"James was my teacher, my protector & the most magnificent actor. We're felling his loss very deeply. He'll always be a part of me," co-star Tatyana Ali echoed on Twitter.

"Rest in Peace James Avery. Love You. One of the best actors of our time," tweeted Miguel A Nunez Jr., who worked with Avery on the UPN show "Sparks.”